Building a Good Life in the Digital Age
What does technology give us?
Connected Experience (there's a practical need of it)
What are some examples of Global Awareness v. Physical Intimate Contact with Nature
- Climate Change: We know about it, but not willing to get our hands dirty to fix it.
- Summer Camps: Could be good but doesn't spend much time in forest
- End of Natural History: We are learning about things on a molecular level, not species anymore
What are the 3 main components of family rituals?
Family rituals help us manage our busy lives.
They should be meaningful, repeated, and organized to build connection and show values.
Each ritual has a start, middle, and end.
What are the 3 transitions of family rituals?
- Transition
- Enactment
- Exit
Criminalization of natural play
People are making it harder for children to be outside because of the limitations are adding.
ex. treehouses, lawsuits (woman who was watching kids outside
Benefits of Technology
- nurtured relationships
- fed emotional, social, and spiritual hungers
- thinks creatively
- express ourselves
True or false: College students intend on being the Last Child in the Woods?
FALSE!!
What are the 5 Family Types?
Institutional Family: 300 years ago – parents and children worked together as a unit.
Psychological Family: 1930s–1950s – families focused on meeting emotional and personal needs.
Pluralistic Family: Modern families – no single idea of what a “traditional” family is.
Entropic Family: Families that slowly lose connection, meaning, and community.
Intentional Family: Families that actively work to stay close, meaningful, and connected.
What is the male-female problems with couple rituals?
- Men work on relationships when they want commitment or to fix problems.
- Women think marriage needs constant care and effort.
What is nature deficit disorder:
Describes human cost of alienation from nature
- diminished use of senses
- attention difficulties
- higher rates of physical and emotional illness
*NOT A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS!
First Corollary v. Second Corollary
1. The more you connect, the better off you are
2. The more you disconnect, the worse off you are
How does Gary Snyder view nature?
- natura=birth, character, course of things
- the "outdoors"
How can Intentional Families be achieved?
Family Rituals
What are some helpful couple rituals to have?
Many married couples talk less than dating couples would ever accept.
Talking daily isn’t required, but it helps keep a marriage strong.
Having a weekly date night also helps.
Natural Abundance
Biologically, cognitively, and spiritually blessednessthrough positive physical connection to nature
Technology Distractions
Disconnected Loneliness
- diff. between loneliness and solitude
Life is diff in connected mode
- intense time deepening worried about "out there" rather than "in here". (in need of external validation; ex. social media)
How does Richard Louv view nature?
"nature deficit disorder"=many people, especially children, are spending less time outdoors and becoming disconnected from nature
What are the requirements of family rituals?
- meaning/significant
- repeated
- coordinated
How should combined rituals work when you are just starting a family.
What is the nature pyramid?
Annually/Bi-Annually (Multiday Excursons)
Monthly (1 weekend)
Weekly (2 hours)
Daily (30 minutes)
What is the difference between loneliness and solitude?
loneliness- the pain of being alone
solitude- the glory of being alone
Why do young people today not spend as much time outdoors?
- lack of time (kids are so busy nowadays)
- incentivized to play indoors (video games, tv, etc.)
* jobs are all on computers now
What are the outcomes of family rituals?
- Predictability
- Connection
- Identity
- A way to enact values
True or false: It matters to have maximum participation in family rituals
TRUE
The good news and bad news about community rituals are
Good news: We can choose and create our own communities.
Bad news: Society is more divided, so it’s harder to stay united.
It’s tough for families to commit to community rituals when everyone does their own thing.